


The Great Medic [2020 Rewrite]

by DeathByShyKid



Series: The Great Medic [2]
Category: Naruto
Genre: Angst, Anxiety Attacks, BAMF Dai-nana-han | Team 7 (Naruto), Blood and Gore, Depression, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, F/M, Fluff, Haruno Sakura is Not Useless, Hatake Kakashi is a Good Teacher, M/M, Medic Uzumaki Naruto, Medical Jargon, Medical Procedures, Multi, Protective Hatake Kakashi, Slow Burn, Smart Uzumaki Naruto, Strong Uzumaki Naruto, Team as Family, Uchiha Sasuke is Not Totally Emo, Uzumaki Naruto is a Good Friend, Uzumaki Naruto-centric
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-09-17
Updated: 2021-03-02
Packaged: 2021-03-07 22:29:07
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 5
Words: 17,169
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26505169
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/DeathByShyKid/pseuds/DeathByShyKid
Summary: "However, for those who master medical ninjutsu, these people are praised in the shinobi ranks for saving people's lives." No one could've known that those words that Iruka spoke during a lesson in the academy could have changed Naruto's life forever. Includes the following: family-like Team 7, Hiruzen Sarutobi being a good Hokage, the adventure of a lifetime, fluff, angst, humor, mild-gore, and realistic depictions of medical attributes and real-life medical knowledge.Medic!Naruto, Smart!Naruto, and Strong!Naruto. Pairing: Shikamaru X Naruto (keep it PG in the comments, they're twelve for the majority of the story).
Relationships: Dai-nana-han | Team 7 & Hatake Kakashi, Haruno Sakura & Uchiha Sasuke & Uzumaki Naruto, Haruno Sakura/Uchiha Sasuke, Nara Shikamaru & Uzumaki Naruto, Nara Shikamaru/Uzumaki Naruto, Uzumaki Naruto & Minor Original Characters
Series: The Great Medic [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1927018
Comments: 130
Kudos: 470





	1. Introduction

It's been a while, hasn't it, dear readers? For those of you who have never read anything of mine or the original of the story before you, then you know nothing of what's happened. In summary, I have not touched this account in many months, almost a year now, I suspect. I have taken my time away from here with the utmost care. While my mental health has taken a beating over the years, I think they're finally starting to do okay and it has helped - being away from here, that is, wherever you're reading this - Wattpad, Fanfiction (.net), and Archive of Our Own, your choice.

But, I'm back, as you see.

This introduction is for your sake and for my sanity. I left because the writing community for Naruto had become toxic and I could not float over the horrid messages I got; I _drowned_ in them, let them consume me. It turned my favorite story I've ever written - ' _The Great Medic'_ \- into something I, too, wanted to drown. I hated it… I still partially hate the old version. That's where this comes into play.

This is the official rewrite of ' _The Great Medic'_. Characters have been renamed - remembered Liam and Dr. Terra? Yeah, because you all hated them that much, they have new names. You'll get to that eventually though. New parts have been added and sections of chapters have been completely taken out. Many of the beginning chapters are cut up and pieced together to help the story feel more linear to what I had envisioned when I was fourteen.

Yes, you read that right - I was _fourteen_ when I started ' _The Great Medic'_ and poor sixteen-year-old me couldn't handle the hate the story got, and seventeen-year-old me said that enough was enough. But I'm one year older now and I _understand_ , I _know_ better now.

This is what you all wanted, right? For me to come back and here I am. I am ready for anything you throw at me and I will _not_ back down this time. I'm mentally stronger than I've ever been - I'm okay now. This is the only part in which I will bitch about this and that - you all made it very clear you were tired of hearing about me complaining about readers so this is all I will provide.

Hopefully, this rewrite is to your liking because… I missed this story. I missed the people who _stayed_ for every chapter and to the readers who did nothing wrong, I am _sorry_ I left you without an ending. But I'm back, I'm here _because_ of you.

This is ' _The Great Medic'_ everyone and Naruto is back, better than ever. I promise this time.


	2. The Push Into Healing

Naruto fanned himself dramatically as he walked through the academy gates with a bored expression. He paused, glancing amongst his peers, watching them hang around outside. Class hadn't started yet so there was no reason to bother yourself with sitting at a desk with nothing to do. The eight-year-old stared with contempt on his face, walking away before any of the ill-fitted feelings started to invade his psyche once more.

There was no reason for him to stand around in the heat when he didn't have anyone to talk to.

His classroom was one of the first few you'd see upon walking into the academy - third room on the left. The blond-haired boy opened the door, peering in and seeing only two other people sitting in the chilled room - his teacher, Iruka, and his fellow classmate, Shikamaru. Iruka stared at him oddly, a surprised look on his face. "You know," The man started, a chuckle escaping him, "I don't think I've ever seen you be early to class before, Naruto."

He grinned, giving his teacher a thumbs-up, "It was hot outside."

Iruka shook his head, smiling to himself, "Well, you can do what you want, but I expect you to be in your seat once the bell rings."

"Yes, sir!" Naruto nodded, more to himself than the other man, before going to the back of the classroom. He was about to pass Shikamaru and go sit in his own seat but paused for a second. Deciding to be a pest, the boy slid in beside his sleeping classmate. "Hey," He started, poking the boy's cheek, "Hey, Shikamaru, wake up."

The Nara heir groaned lowly, eyes peeling open and staring at the blond. Shock coursed through him as he continued to look, "Have I really been sleeping for most of the class?!"

"No!" Naruto laughed heartily, " _Usually,_ I _would_ be late to school but today I've decided to come early."

Shikamaru scoffed, tucking his head back into his arms, "Well, that's certainly a change of heart."

Naruto stared at the other boy, watching him doze for a second before speaking up once more. "So… want to do anything before class starts?" He asked, poking the Nara heir again.

Shikamaru lifted his head, exasperated. He sighed, sitting up in his seat. "Well, if you want, I just recently got into a card game." The black-haired boy waved a hand, "I could teach it to you."

"Yeah!" The blond's eyes shone in excitement.

"Okay," He began, pulling out a deck of cards, "We're both given five cards that we're allowed to look at and have on hand." The boy passed out the cards quickly. "Each player is dealt 15 cards face down to form a draw pile. Next, two separate cards are placed between us face-down and then two piles of five cards are set beside them and are also face-down." Shikamaru glanced up to see if the Uzumaki was paying attention, "You understand so far?"

Naruto nodded intently, "Yep. How do you play though?"

He stared curiously before continuing, "So, the round begins when each of us flips one of the face-down cards in the center here at the same time. Choji and I usually do it on the count of three, but it doesn't really matter." He demonstrated with both of his hands, showing how the game will start. "Then, using the cards from our hands, we'll discard cards one-by-one so that each card played is either one number above, one number below, or the same number as the two cards on the top of the center stacks."

"Oh!" He brightened in understanding, "It's like a counting game!"

"Um… I guess?" Shikamaru's eyebrows furrowed together but waved it off. "Okay, look here." He managed to gather the hyper-active blond's attention, "The top two cards here is the Ace of Spades and a Four of Hearts meaning that the only cards I can lay down are a Two or King of Spades on top of the Ace and a Three or a Five of Hearts on top of the Four."

"Okay, I think I get it. Can we start playing?" Naruto said with a grin, practically vibrating in his seat.

"Well, before that, let me just say that the winner is the person who runs out of all the cards in their hand and their draw pile - because you need five cards in your hand at all times." He raised a hand before the other boy could beg to start again, "And, when you run out of cards, you've got to say _Speed_ in order for the other player to officially lose. Ready?"

"Yeah!" The hyperactive blond cheered, pumping his fist in the air as Shikamaru gathered the cards again. The cards were placed out once more and the game started.

Iruka watched discreetly from his desk as he graded his students' homework; he meant to finish grading last night but didn't get the time to. In the past, he'd seen the two play games during their free time - well, whenever Naruto wasn't late to class and when Shikamaru wasn't sleeping the day away - but they always seemed to have a good time despite that. The game they were playing currently was one that Iruka remembered from his own academy days - _Speed_.

Shikamaru had left out a crucial aspect to the game though; he forgot to tell Naruto that it was an extremely fast-paced game. Most games were over within under five minutes and you needed to be good with both colors and numbers to be exceptional at the game. Iruka _had_ been good with both aspects of the game and won the majority of the time against his classmates when he was in the academy. However, while watching two of his students play _Speed_ , shock starting to take over.

Shikamaru had _not_ won a _single_ match!

You could tell the boy was trying his best, moving his hands quickly to put Queens over Kings and put together Six's and Seven's but Naruto was somehow always four cards ahead of him. Iruka could see the calculating glaze over sky-blue eyes, one that he'd only ever seen on Shikaku Nara and Hiruzen Sarutobi have.

The bell rang loudly, startling the three people in the classroom out of their high-paced daze. Shikamaru quickly gathered all of the cards and put them back in their box. The two academy students shook hands, a quick 'Good game' passing through them before Naruto took his seat at the front of the classroom. He gave his teacher a grin, not noticing Iruka's baffled expression. Children started filing into the classroom, talking amongst themselves.

Choji took his seat beside Shikamaru, already opening a bag of chips for the two to share. He looked over at his best friend, "So, what did I miss yesterday?"

The Nara heir reached over for a chip, munching on it for a second before responding, "Not much, just some training and a history lesson."

"Oh, well, that's okay." The boy shrugged, looking over the tops of students' heads.

After a few seconds, Shikamaru poked his friend's shoulder, gathering his attention, "Did you know that no one has ever beat me in any kind of card game except my dad?"

He nodded, "Yeah, how could I forget? You're like… _super_ smart and all."

"Well," Shikamaru continued, grabbing a handful of chips to eat, "what if I said that Naruto can beat me in _Speed_?"

Choji furrowed his eyebrows, thinking deeply, "You mean that really fast-paced game my dad taught you?"

"The exact one."

The other boy laughed heartily, glancing over at Naruto who was bothering Sakura again. "There is absolutely _no way_ that he could beat you in _Speed_." He chuckled again.

"Well, he did." Shikamaru stated seriously, "We played about ten games within the seventeen minutes before class began and he beat me every _single_ time. I'm not sure how, though. He only learned it today."

"Maybe he's a closeted genius," Choji suggested, shrugging one shoulder.

The Nara heir sat there, contemplating for a moment, "Maybe… Naruto _was_ able to just briefly glance at the cards he had in his hands before easily being able to place down a card without pause. It was… impressive to say the least."

"I didn't think that the dead last of the class would be capable of that." He munched on a few more chips, mouth full of them as he talked.

"I didn't think so either until this morning," Shikamaru said, crossing his arms on the table and placing his head on top of it, already feeling physically drained. He could use another nap.

"Good morning class!" Iruka called from the front of the classroom, gathering their attention. He stood up from his seat, holding a piece of chalk in his hand, "Today, we're going to be learning about ninjutsu." He turned around and wrote the word down on the chalkboard for the class to see. The man circled the word for emphasis. "Can anyone tell me what ninjutsu is?" Sakura's hand shot up in the air. Iruka nodded for her to continue.

"Ninjutsu is a term that shinobi use when referring to almost any and every technique which allows the user to do something that they would otherwise not be capable of doing." She spoke quickly.

"That is correct, Sakura." Iruka smiled at the confused looks running through the classroom, "Let me give you an example to help you understand." He flew through some hand signs, calling out a short, "Bunshin no Jutsu!" An exact copy of the man appeared before them all. He smiled at the awed expressions flitting through his students' faces. "Ninjutsu is one of the three main types of jutsu, the others being…" He motioned for them to speak out.

"Genjutsu!" Some called out while others called out, "Taijutsu!"

"Correct." Iruka smiled, glad that a majority of the class listened to him, "Ninjutsu is used more frequently than genjutsu and taijutsu and it can help you on missions or in battle. Some kinds of ninjutsu can be used as a distraction or help to 'up' your regular abilities like make you faster or stronger."

Kiba raised his hand, getting a nod for him to ask his question. He stood up, hands in his pockets, "What are the different types of ninjutsu, sensei?"

He chuckled lowly, shaking his head, "Kiba, there are _thousands_ of different kinds of ninjutsu. Even if I decided to sit down and tell you all them, it would probably take _years_ to explain them all."

"Well," Sakura spoke out, a shy look on her face, "why don't you just tell us a few of them, sensei?"

"Well, alright then." Iruka paused, thinking for a moment, "There are a few famous ninjutsu that is only found within the walls of Konohagakure. There is the Uchiha's many fire ninjutsu, the Nara's shadow manipulation ninjutsu, the Akamichi's expansion ninjutsu, the Yamanaka's many mind ninjutsu, the Hyuuga's-" He was stopped by Ino standing up abruptly, causing him to pause.

"But, Iruka-sensei, we already know about the clans' and their ninjutsu. There have to be some other kinds." She called from her seat, huffing before sitting back down.

Iruka sighed, rubbing his chin in thought, "Well, there is one that most of you might not know. It's not very popular due to the severity of the art and how it could take decades for one to master it completely. This ninjutsu is also the one used by the great Sannin, Tsunade-sama" Wide eyes watched him, consuming every word he spoke.

"What's it called, sensei?" Ino cooed in awe.

"It's called medical ninjutsu. Not many people like to attempt this type of ninjutsu because it takes weeks - maybe even months depending on your chakra levels- to get the hang of it. Most shinobis don't like to learn this art due to the mental grief because, as many medic-in-trainings come to find out, you can't always be able to save everyone" Iruka stated somberly before smiling, "However, for those who master medical ninjutsu, these people are praised in the shinobi ranks for saving people's lives."

Naruto, who'd been listening intensely, perked up at the man's words. " _Praised for saving lives?"_ He thought excitedly, " _Maybe if I master medical ninjutsu, the village will finally acknowledge me?!"_ His heart pumped excitedly, feeling jittery in his seat. This newfound knowledge could make or break him! The hyperactive blond grinned and rocked in his seat as Iruka started to talk more about the fundamental things about ninjutsu that he didn't bother to hear.

" _Iruka-sensei said that it takes years to become a master but, if I started learning now, then I'd be on my way to becoming a master by the time I'm a chunin!"_ Naruto thought with a grin, " _But… where do I even begin?"_

A few hours later, a bell rang, symbolizing that students were free to go eat lunch. Many kids jumped out of their seats with bento boxes and bags in their hands, all of them collectively rushing outside. Naruto, not feeling the need to eat lunch today, walked up to his teacher with a nervous grin on his face.

"Sorry, Naruto," Iruka began, scribbling on a piece of paper, "I can't take you to eat at Ichiraku's today. I've got some work that I need to take care of right now."

He shook his head, "That's not what I was coming to ask you."

"Huh?" The man looked up, pausing, "Oh, I'm sorry that I assumed. Um, so what _is_ your question?"

Naruto rocked on the balls of his feet, "Um… if I wanted to read more about medical ninjutsu, where do you think I should start?"

Iruka thought for a second, "Well, the public library wouldn't have much on it, maybe a few intermediate books. I'm not sure you'd be able to understand those books unless you already had previous knowledge of medical ninjutsu." He sat back in his chair, silently pondering as Naruto gave him an expectant - borderline begging - look. Iruka sighed, reaching into his desk and pulling out a green book, "I recently tried to get basic medical ninjutsu knowledge, but it just didn't work out for me. Since then, I've kept this book just in case I wanted to pick it up again. I don't think that'll happen anytime soon, so I guess I can let you have it."

"Really?!" His student beamed down at him, reaching for the large green book and holding it close to his chest, "Thank you, Iruka-sensei!"

"You're welcome, Naruto." He smiled, watching the eight-year-old boy run outside gleefully.

Naruto made it outside in record time, avoiding the large group of kids taking over picnic tables and those standing over by the fences. Instead, he made a break for the empty swing that hung from the lone oak tree in the yard. He sat down on it, book in hand. He eagerly flipped open the first page that merely read ' _Introduction to Medical Ninjutsu'_. However, upon moving through each page, eying the pictures and the description, he found that he couldn't understand a lot of the longer words.

The boy ran a hand through his hair in frustration. The eight-year-old was quick to realize that he was going to have to come to terms with these words and know the meaning behind them or else he'll never be acknowledged by the village and become a master of medical ninjutsu! He read a few more pages until he saw Shikamaru and Choji approaching him. He grinned, closing the book, "Hey guys, what's up?"

"Nothing much just wanted to see if you wanted to join us and play some more _Speed_ before lunch ends." The Nara heir suggested hands deep in his pockets.

Naruto considered turning down the offer so he could delve himself into his medical studies, but these were his friends! He shouldn't forget about the small number of friends he has because he wasn't to be acknowledged. So, he nodded, jumping off the swing, "Sure!"

The three boys sat down in the shade underneath the oak tree as Shikamaru got out his cards. _Speed_ was a two-player game so, for the first round, it was decided that Shikamaru and Naruto would go toe-to-toe first. Choji watched from the sidelines as the two started to play. He marveled at the pace the hyperactive blond had set early into the round. Shikamaru was trying to keep up, but you could tell that he was slowly falling behind. Two more rounds were played between the two before Shikamaru switched with Choji.

A new shuffle came to pass as cards were dealt out; the game started with a quick 'On three'. Choji, not surprisingly, couldn't keep up with the supposed dead last. He only managed to put down seven of his cards - five from his hand and two from his deck - before Naruto managed to call out a swift, "Speed!" The Akamichi heir sat there baffled at how easily the other boy had beat both him and the smartest person in their grade as well.

The bell rang once more, lunch over. They headed back to class together once Shikamaru had gathered his cards, all moving to get into their designated seats. Once the class had settled down, Iruka started to explain that they were going to be learning the three most basic ninjutsu known throughout the world and how they were extremely essential to being a good ninja. The Bunshin no Jutsu - which Iruka had already demonstrated early in the class - the Kawarimi no Jutsu, and the Henge no Jutsu were what all genin needed to learn in order to pass.

The Bunshin no Jutsu allows the user to create a clone of themselves. The Kawarimi no Jutsu allowed the user to replace themselves with an object that mimicked them. The Henge no Jutsu helped to allow the user to transform into an object or another person. Iruka started to explain how each worked in terms of hand signs and chakra usage. After about thirty minutes of this and allowing the students to work on it by themselves, it was time to show Iruka what they'd learned.

"Now, I'll be calling on someone to try and perform the three jutsus. Don't fret if you can't do it just yet, you've got years until the graduation exam." The man explained, "Are there any volunteers to go first?" Kiba's hand shot up, Iruka nodded for the boy to come to the front.

Kiba hopped out from behind his desk and rushed down to stand beside his teacher. The brunette clumsily went through the hand signs for the BUnshin no Jutsu. A copy of himself appeared but had short and stubby legs. The Inuzuka flushed in embarrassment as his clone fell to the floor before disappearing. The class chuckled at this, watching at the boy flew through the easy hand signs for the Kawarimi no Jutsu, replacing himself with a book on a student's desk. The girl who sat behind the desk shrieked, pushing Kiba off her desk. He fell, the class laughing at him again.

He grumbled a little bit before doing the Henge no Jutsu. Kiba transformed into the civilian girl who'd pushed him off and started strutting around. The henge disappeared after a few seconds, the class in a good mood after his performance. Iruka, shaking his head, sent the boy to his seat.

Shino's hand raised in the air, Iruka waving to the spot beside him for the boy to take. The quiet boy stood up by his desk before doing a Kawarimi no Jutsu. He replaced himself with the book that was left on the floor by Iruka from Kiba's own kawarimi. He did a henge of Iruka before creating a bunshin. Each was flawlessly executed and quick on the draw. Shino left Iruka's side to sit in his seat, passing the book back to its owner.

"Alright, any other volunteers?" He asked the class, seeing Sasuke's hand rise into the air. Quickly after though, his many fangirls also raised their hand - most likely hoping to impress the boy.

The brooding boy stood up from his desk before walking down the stairs to stand at the front of the class. He quickly did the hand signs for the Bunshin no Jutsu which, unsurprisingly, came out perfectly. The bunshin started to do the hand signs for the Henge no Jutsu, transforming itself into a replica of their teacher. The clone disappeared as Sasuke replaced himself with a broom with the Kawarimi no Jutsu. Once his performance was done, he retreated back to his desk without a word. The majority of the female population in the room started to squeal and gossip about the Uchiha.

A few of the fangirls went ahead with their turn after that, some did fine, others doing terribly. Iruka wrote down something on his clipboard, looking back up at the pink-haired girl who waited patiently, "Okay, Sakura, you're good to go." She smiled, heading towards the man. Once she stood directly beside him, she started to make a bunshin. A perfect copy of herself appeared, grinning cutely. The bunshin transformed into a decent-looking copy of Sasuke as the clone started to do the signs for the Kawarimi. Sakura and the clone, for their final act, swapped places before the clone disappeared in a swirl of smoke. Iruka gave her a thumbs-up as she went to sit back down.

Ino, without prompting, did a Kawarimi no Jutsu to replace herself with Sasuke, deciding that it was her turn. The Uchiha raised his eyebrows in shock when he found himself in her seat. "Yes!" She cheered, pumping her fist in the air. She rushed down to stand by Iruka excitedly as Sasuke removed himself from her seat and away from the fangirls breathing down his neck. Ino summoned a bunshin flawlessly, getting some 'ooh's from the other girls in the classes. However, as she tried to henge herself into Sasuke, she messed up a hand sign somewhere and only managed to change her hair color. She pouted as her bunshin disappeared and she went back to her seat.

A few more students volunteered, however, it wasn't long before Iruka had to start picking students to attempt the three jutsus. "Choji, it's your turn."

The brunette sighed before placing down his bag of chips and walking up to the teacher. Choji tried to do the Henge no Jutsu, but it just wasn't working. He tried four different times, but he'd only been able to get his clothes to change, not his full body. His teacher nodded for him to continue with the other two jutsus. Choji went through the signs for the Kawarimi no Jutsu, but he couldn't replace himself with the book on his desk. He tried again but lost hope halfway through his final attempt. He took his time with his bunshin, though, and managed to come out of it with a good result. An exact copy of himself popped into the world, waving before quickly disappearing.

"Good job, Choji." Iruka smiled reassuringly, watching the boy make it back to his seat. His eyes caught Shikamaru's, "Why don't you go ahead and try the jutsus, Shikamaru?" The boy's eyes peeled open, yawning loudly as he walked down the stairs lazily. He performed a Kawarimi no Jutsu with his teacher, the man stunned for merely a second before writing something down. The Nara heir sped through the hand signs for the Bunshin no Jutsu. The clone appeared sitting down, snoozing on the floor. The class chuckled at the clone's antics. It disappeared after a few more seconds. Finally, Shikamaru did a henge of Choji, which didn't stay long.

The teacher nodded at the lazy boy, writing some more notes for later. "Okay, Hinata, show us what you've got."

The shy girl nodded, moving to stand beside Iruka. She looked directly at Naruto who was too busy reading his medical ninjutsu book. Her hopes fell a little bit as she quietly produced a clone of herself. Hinata's clone tried turning into Naruto through a henge, but it didn't work out for her, though. Iruka encouraged her to try a kawarimi. She nodded shakily and went through the hand signs, only to miss two of them and mess up. Hinata's cheeks flushed red, embarrassment coursing through her. However, on her second try, she succeeded in trading places with Iruka similarly to Shikamaru's performance.

"That was really good, Hinata. Keep up the good work." Iruka smiled, looking down at his clipboard for who hadn't gone yet. "Alright, last but not least, Naruto." He glanced up from his writings to find the blond-haired boy engrossed with the medical book he'd given him, " _NARUTO!"_

That seemed to knock him out of his readings. Naruto looked up at his teacher sheepishly before realizing that all eyes were on him. He rubbed the back of his neck, "Oh hey, Iruka-sensei! What'd I miss?"

The chunin sighed, "It's your turn, Naruto."

"Turn?" He looked down at his book for a second, internally cursing the paper for distracting him from his ninja training, "What for?"

Iruka internally groaned, "Naruto, we've been practicing jutsu - the Bunshin no Jutsu, the Kawarimi no Jutsu, and the Henge no Jutsu. If you'd been paying attention, you would know."

The boy moved to close the book, nodding sadly, "Yes, sir."

"Now, please do the three jutsus in front of the class." The man stated, waving to the empty spot beside him.

The boy got out of his seat, passing chuckling and whispering children. He hid his hurt and discomfort easily, standing beside his frustrated teacher. Naruto took a deep breath before attempting a kawarimi with his medical ninjutsu book - it worked! He mentally cheered at being able to manage that, doing another kawaii with the same green book so that he'd be back at the front of the classroom. Naruto's keen ears picked up on numerous kids whispering about him trying to show off. The words left a bitter taste in his mouth, but he left it alone.

The blond-haired boy started going through the hand signs for the Henge no Jutsu, deciding to turn into the Third Hokage, Hiruzen Sarutobi, since he looked up to him so much. However, when the hefty smoke disappeared from his body, everyone started to laugh at him. He'd managed to turn into the Third Hokage, except the henge looked like it was practically melting. Naruto dispelled the henge as quickly as he could, hoping that a good bunshin would stop the laughing from his classmates. He managed to produce one - a bad one that is; it looked like it was dead, gray, and sitting lopsided on the floor. The class continued their laughter, Naruto started to feel quite ashamed of himself as he left for his seat quickly.

"Quiet down!" Iruka shouted out, silencing the cackling class," It is okay if you didn't get some of the jutsus down. This does not mean that you're a failure, it just means that you need more practice." Iruka started to babble on about the importance of these three jutsu and how they would be useful in battle situations but Naruto wasn't listening anymore.

He stared at the open medical ninjutsu book, but he didn't read it. His mind was in shambles. He was embarrassed at having messed up not only one but _two_ of the jutsus. Naruto sighed, placing a bookmark in the large book before closing it. The blond-haired boy laid his head on top of it and closed his eyes for an afternoon nap, not bothering with the rest of the class.

When the school day had finally ended, the final bell of the day leaving students to rush out of the academy, Naruto rushed off to the library. He planned on finding some books - if there were any at all - on a Sannin named Tsunade. Iruka had mentioned the woman was famous for her medical knowledge and Naruto planned on reading anything about her. While he only managed to find a single book on the woman written by someone by the name of Jiraiya the Toad Sage - whoever that was - he _was_ able to find a couple more books on medical ninjutsu to better his knowledge before he was kicked out by the owner of the library.

His hands were full of books when he left - one was about Tsunade - ' _The Slug Sannin: Tales of the Greatest Medic'_ \- while the rest were medical ninjutsu books that would probably help him on his path to becoming a medic. By the time he'd gotten home, Naruto had almost forgotten his embarrassing stunt at school, his mind enraptured by the books he had now. He ran to his couch upon walking into his apartment, opening the single book of Tsunade Senju with an empty notebook beside him which would, hopefully, help him understand bigger words or processes he didn't understand. Naruto worked well into the night, vigorously reading and writing things down. By the time he laid in bed, Naruto knew what he was going to do.

Becoming Hokage could wait because, for now, he was going to try and become a medic!


	3. Diving Deeper

Naruto stood at the steps of the library for the third time that week, a gleam in his eyes; today, he would make it past the front doors and get his greedy fingers on some more books! It had been nearly a month since he'd started his journey into medical ninjutsu. He'd only managed to get through a portion of the large green book Iruka had given him, however, Naruto _was_ able to finish the book on Tsunade Senju and the rest of the medical ninjutsu textbooks he'd gotten from the library. They'd since been returned after only two weeks of keeping them but that's beside the point. He'd spent hours upon hours studying anything he could at all but now?

Now he was just _stuck_.

With those books done, he'd tried getting into the library once more. He was hoping that maybe he'd find a few textbooks that he'd missed when Naruto had come last month, thinking that someone could have returned a book during that time. However, _of course_ , the damn people of Konohagakure just won't let him have his peace. The older woman who ran the counter at the library during the week wouldn't even let him get past the front doors. Since Naruto had managed to get in the last time, the woman - Kasumi, if he remembered right - was keen on keeping a watchful eye out for him, making sure the boy couldn't get any books from their establishment.

However, today - a Saturday - he was going to get in and get what he wanted.

The eight-year-old boy wasted no time running up the steps of the library. He only paused at the door handle, his small palm peeling the large door open slowly and peeking inside, looking for the librarian in question. Naruto blinked in surprise, not seeing Kasumi - an older, _meaner_ woman - but, instead, a teenager? He took a shaky step inside, not sure of what to do.

All adults Naruto encountered were expected to be cruel, mean to him, denying him some of the more common necessities for some undone evil he'd caused onto them. Their children and kids his age talked about him behind his back but some - very, _very_ few - were kind to him like Shikamaru and Choji, sometimes - he was still on the fence about whether the Akimichi heir actually liked him or tolerated because Naruto was close with his best friend. However, _this_ teenager - the one leaning against the counter with a bored look on her face - was almost an adult but still young enough that the boy was scared of what she'd say to him.

Turns out, he didn't have to wait too long to find out.

"Hey, squirt." She barked out quickly, fanning herself with a pamphlet, "You just gonna stand there with the door open? It's the middle of spring - it's hot, kid. Shut the door and get inside."

"O-Okay." Naruto stuttered out quickly, moving inside the building before just standing there awkwardly.

The teenager looked at him with a thin-lined frown, "You good, squirt? You look like you're gonna puke."

"I… I just need a few books." He shuffled closer to the counter, watching her every move like she was going to kick him out if he moved too fast.

"Okay?" She motioned for him to continue, "What kind of books?"

"Medical ninjutsu ones," Naruto stated, peering over the counter now, eyes wide in their watching.

The girl paused before smiling, chuckling slowly. "Really? You look a little too young, squirt." She shook her head, looking mildly amused, "Whatever, I don't get paid to judge. Give me a second…" Her words fell off as she started searching through a guide book; it probably had a catalog of what kind of books they had available.

The academy student watched her work, eyes trailing down to look at her name tag. He furrowed his eyebrows, "How do you say your name?"

She glanced down at it, "Oh, yeah. It's Massan - you're supposed to say it as ''moss-san'. I was named after my mom's favorite drama." The teen seemed to roll her eyes at that, still smiling though. "What about you squirt? You got a name or am I just supposed to call you 'squirt' forever?" She grinned down at him, leaning over the counter.

"I'm Naruto Uzumaki and I'm going to be H-Ho…" He stumbled, mind reeling back before continuing, "I'm going to be a _medic_." Those words were said more seriously, a resolve he didn't know he had come forth.

Massan smirked, "Alright, Naruto Uzumaki, medic of Konoha, I found some books for you." She pulled out a catalog card, writing down some points of reference for him. Once the teen was done, she slid the paper to him, "We've only got two that were returned within the last week."

Naruto reached for the paper, eyes shining with child-like excitement, "Thank you Massan-san!"

She held up her hand, eyes wide, "Uh, no - no honorifics. My name doesn't sound good with them."

"Oh, okay… Massan." He grinned sheepishly up at her, holding the paper close to his chest.

The girl rolled her eyes again, laughing to herself, "Alright, go do your book thing. Oh, and don't blow your brains out, squirt - there's a lot of knowledge in those books!"

"I won't!" Naruto gave her a thumbs-up before running over to the section on the paper. He scoured the large shelves, finding the three books Massan had mentioned. They were a bit smaller than the green book Iruka had given him but they still held precious knowledge that he craved.

Before, he'd never been one for studying - ninjas were just about having cool ninjutsu and being good at hand-to-hand combat, right? Wrong, Naruto came to find out. There was so much more that's a part of the whole process - how was he _just_ learning this?! He's spent the last two and a half years just goofing off in the academy when he could have been trying to learn the ways of the ninja. It's a good thing he's gotten some direction into what path he needed to take to make his dreams into something more tangible in his hands. Naruto paused; he should get something for Iruka to thank him for guiding the boy in the right direction.

The blond gathered the three books, herding them over to a table in the far right corner and setting them down. He sat down in front of them, taking off the bag on his back and dumping it onto the table. Four books spilled out: the precious green book that Iruka had given him, a dictionary, and two notebooks that he'd been writing in. The yellow notebook was for words he didn't understand in the medical ninjutsu books with definitions beside them from the dictionary while the red notebooks were an idea, to-do list, or 'something for later' section. It was a mix-and-match kind of notebook that he kept around in case he thought of something and wanted to look at it later when he had more information.

With the notebooks and the dictionary open and ready to be used, Naruto settled for one of the smaller books he'd gotten off the shelf. It was called ' _Common Injuries and Treatments'_ , the cover read. He quickly flipped through the book, getting a good sense of what it was about - broken and fractured bones, open wounds, cuts, internal damage, amputation of the fingers or toes, and other minor injuries. Treatments for those types of injuries seemed easy enough but he's only just started learning about them so who knows? Certainly not him. The eight-year-old boy jotted some notes down before moving onto the second book.

The title made him laugh - ' _Medical History for Dummies'_ \- however, he hoped that Massan didn't recommend this because she thought he was dumb. Naruto shook his head; she didn't even know him, how could she think he was dumb if they'd only just met. He set the book aside, for now, promising to get to it eventually and, instead, reached for the third book.

"' _The Art of Poisons'_?" He read aloud, furrowing his brows together, "Why would people need to use poisons?" While it was interesting, the idea of a medic using poisons, Naruto also figured that it was defeating the purpose of trying to help someone. Well, that was unless… "Oh!" He slapped his forehead in understanding. ' _The Art of Poisons'_ is supposed to help medics understand poisons so that they could help someone in the case that _they_ were poisoned, not use the poison themselves!

That made so much more sense.

Though, that did get Naruto thinking about a medic's role in the world of ninja. Did they simply stay in the backline and wait for someone to get injured? Or were they also on the front-line fighting back? How _do_ they fight back? Are medics just ninjas with medical knowledge? What type of ninja did _he_ want to be? He wrote the questions down in the red notebook for later, circling the last one especially.

He thought on it for a while, flipping aimlessly through the ' _Common Injuries and Treatments'_ book as he did so. Naruto wanted to be a ninja that helped people, someone that people could count on for anything - he also desperately wanted to be acknowledged but that's a given. He wanted to _fight_ , so badly - fight for those whose lives were at stake, for those who were too weak to stand up for themselves, wanted to fight for people who didn't have the power to do it themselves. But, as a medic, could he still do that? Can he still be an active ninja and still heal people?

Naruto shook his head. " _I'm getting off-track; I need to_ focus _."_ He thought to himself, looking back down at the book in front of him, " _After all, I've got work to do."_

He sat there for a couple more hours, writing down things and continuing with his research. However, as it was getting closer to five in the afternoon, Massan came up to him, informing the eight-year-old that the library would be closing soon so he'd have to check out those books if he wanted to continue looking at them. Naruto packed his bag quickly, the three library books in hand as he followed the teen back up to the front, checking them out with his tattered library card before leaving the library altogether.

He left for home afterward, mind exhausted after everything the boy had put it through that evening, promising to head to be early that night.

* * *

The evening bell rang loudly in the middle of Iruka's lecture, signaling that students could leave to enjoy the rest of their Monday afternoon. The man chuckled to himself, watching as students flew out of their seats, rushing out of the classroom with enthusiasm, ready to leave the school building. Through the excitement, he called out, "Naruto!"

The blond lifted his head from his notebook, pausing in his scribblings, "Yes sir?"

"Could you stay for a little bit after everyone's left? I have a few things I would like to discuss with you." He explained, crossing his arms, looking over the sea of children. Some looked behind them to stare at the blond while others laughed to themselves, mocking the boy as if he'd done something wrong.

Naruto nodded, packing his bag up slowly, putting his red and yellow notebook away first before all his school things. As he stood up, the majority of the class had already dispersed, leaving just a single student and their teacher. He walked forward, staring up at Iruka, "What did you want to talk about, sensei?"

"Your grades are getting worse by the minute, Naruto." He started, arms unfolding from their crossed position, "You are showing up to school late nearly every day - later than you normally would - and when you're here, you're exhausted half the time. I'm suspecting that the book I gave you is becoming a problem and I don't want to have to take it from you." Iruka sighed heavily, "Tell me what's going on, Naruto."

The blond-haired academy student bowed his head in shame, "I apologize, Iruka-sensei. It's just…" He sighed, eyes peeling from the floor to look back up at his teacher. "I've always wanted the village to acknowledge me - you know this already - and… I don't know. When you talked about how great the masters of medical ninjutsu were treated here, I just, you know, wanted to learn it as fast as I could so I could finally…" His voice died off at the end, looking away once more.

"I know, kid." Iruka's smile was small, "You'll get there one day, okay?" He placed a reassuring hand on the boy's shoulder, squeezing it slightly, "In the meantime though, I want you to pull those grades up and go to bed at a proper time. While I love seeing your passion for this dream of yours, you need to take care of yourself, okay?"

Naruto grinned, hugging the man before him, "I'll try but I can't promise anything."

"I look forward to what you'll accomplish, Naruto." Iruka pulled away, "Alright, now, get out of here. I'm sure you've got a lot of studying to do, right?"

"Right!"

"See you tomorrow, Naruto - on time?" Iruka raised an eyebrow, grinning.

"On time, sensei - promise." The blond laughed heartily, rushing out of the door with a large grin on his face. His laughs echoed down the hall, Iruka simply shaking his head as he watched the boy go.

The man felt a swell of pride open in his heart. He had no doubt that the eight-year-old boy could do it - become a medic, that is. Naruto's determination was unlike any others, his will of fire always burning brightly. Iruka chuckled to himself before going back to the paperwork he was working on the weekend before.

Last weekend, Naruto had discovered that the reason he was able to get into the library was that Kasumi didn't work weekends, leaving that to Massan who had let him in with no problems. So, he'd decided that, during the week and after school, he would study at home or in the empty training grounds and, on the weekends, he'd be back at the library for some quiet study hours. That's where he found himself now, sitting on his bed.

He thought back to Iruka's words as he pulled out his notebooks and textbooks again. He needed to start taking better care of himself. Naruto wasn't eating and drinking as much as he should nor has he been sleeping enough. All he's wanted to do the last month and a half was study hard and become acknowledged. But, from what he's learned from ' _Common Injuries and Treatments'_ and ' _Introduction to Medical Ninjutsu'_ is what happens to the body if it is not kept up with:

" _Any deficiency in the body can lead to numerous things but lack of food, water, and sleep can be especially dangerous._

_Losing sleep can impair your body's ability to fight off illnesses, making it easier to get sick. It has also been found that both short sleep duration (less than five hours per night) and long sleep durations (nine or more hours per night) have a negative impact on heart health. In particular, your chances of developing coronary heart disease or having a stroke are greatly increased with less sleep"._

In the margins of his green book, Naruto wrote down that 'coronary heart disease (CAD)' was the most common form of heart disease and impairs the blood flow in the arteries that supply blood to the heart. Besides that, he wrote down that a stroke is what happens when blood flow to part of the brain is interrupted caused by oxygen deprivation to brain tissue.

" _Lacking a normal level of body water - through dehydration, sickness, exercise, heat stress, etc. - can make people feel rotten. As you 'lose' body water without replacing it, your blood becomes more concentrated and, at a point, this triggers your kidneys to retain water. The thicker and more concentrated your blood becomes, the harder it is for your cardiovascular system to compensate by increasing heart rate to maintain blood pressure._

_When your dehydrated body is 'pushed' - such as when exercising or faced with heat stress - the risk of exhaustion or collapse increases. This can cause you to faint, for instance, when you stand up too quickly. Less water also hampers the body's attempts at regulating temperature, which can cause hyperthermia"._

Because the information on water intake was found in the library book, Naruto had to write down the definition of 'hyperthermia' - which is a body temperature that is greatly above normal - in his yellow notebook full of other definitions as well.

" _When you skip meals, your blood sugar decreases, which causes an interruption in your ability to think straight. The brain uses glucose" -_ Naruto remembers writing down the definition of glucose somewhere. He peels open the yellow notebook again, flipping through the pages until he finds it; glucose is a simple sugar which is an important energy source in living organisms and is a component of many carbohydrates. " _The brain uses glucose to run efficiently and if there is not enough glucose for the brain to use, your body does not function at a hundred percent._

 _Low blood sugar causes people to feel irritable, confused, and fatigued. The body begins to increase the production of cortisol_ \- the body's main stress hormone, Naruto finds in the notebook - _leaving us stressed and hungry/angry. Skipping meals can also cause your metabolism to slow down, which can cause weight gain or make it harder to lose weight. When you skip a meal or go a long time without eating, your body goes into survival mode."_

The books go on to tell the reader how to fix a sleep schedule, how to avoid skipping meals, and the correct amount of water intake someone should have. Naruto read the instructions slowly, promising himself to do better. For now, though, he had some studying to do.

Naruto yawned, leaning against his headboard. Papers, notebooks, and textbooks crowded around his knees. He rubbed his eyes and started packing away his things, getting ready for bed. As he worked, the eight-year-old absorbed the information he'd just learned. He spent most of the night going through ' _Medical History for Dummies'_ \- like he promised he would - and just needed a second to reel back through it all.

There is so much you could learn about a subject from just looking back at the many fascinating historical events that have occurred. Granted, Naruto absolutely _loathed_ the history lessons his teacher would give about the villages and the likes of, however, medical history just made him even more intrigued about becoming a master in the subject.

In the ' _Medical History for Dummies'_ book, it went over the history of medicine and famous doctors for the boy to study. Tsunade Senju was in there, of course, as she was one of the more infamous ones. After going through most of that in the textbook, Naruto went ahead and pulled out all his notes about Tsunade Senju to compare to what he'd just learned. While Tsunade herself was a ninja, there had been many medics who weren't one themselves yet still eventually gained the respect of ninja and civilians alike. It put into perspective for Naruto that he didn't _have_ to be a ninja to achieve this goal of becoming a master of medical ninjutsu.

But he still _wanted_ to.

He'd read that some of the best masters were either on the battlefield or in hospitals. The boy used to think that the doctors at the hospital were just people who gave out bandages and medicines and sometimes cut up people with a sharp scalpel. ' _The Slug Sannin: Tales of the Greatest Medic'_ and ' _Medical History for Dummies'_ both mention how hospitals operated and what a doctor's and medic's duties were. Now that Naruto's been enlightened about what _exactly_ goes on at a hospital, he feels much more grateful for having _awesome_ doctors in Konohagakure.

There's so much to learn and he's doing it all on his own… _mostly._

He let out another yawn, rubbing his eyes once more. "Okay, that's enough for today." He told himself, setting his bag on the floor before tucking himself underneath the covers, wrapping the blankets around himself like a burrito. Naruto let out a sigh of content, curling up in bed and falling asleep within minutes. Even while in a deep slumber, his mind was still on the thought of becoming a medic and having everyone respect him.

He was ready for this. He _needed_ this.


	4. It's Not as it Seems

A streak of blond weaved in and out of bustling civilians. Eyes were on him as he moved swiftly around them, looking up and down the streets with an inquiring eye. The scornful watches had changed over the years, morphing into a look of disbelief or curiosity. Some still shouldered that overbearing look of disgust and hatred but there was a new, cold indifference directed towards him now. Not understanding why Naruto continued on without looking back.

He paused on the side of the road, glancing down at his red notebook. The boy flipped through a few pages, going over the to-do list he'd written down over a month ago, making sure that what he was looking for would be around here. Naruto had already spent nearly an hour on the streets aimlessly walking around trying to find a weapons shop that would sell things to him. So far, four shops had turned him down but that did not deter the eight-year-old boy in his wanderings. His eyes lit up at the sight of another shop upon turning the corner, pocketing his notebook in his backpack and dashing for it with an exuberance akin to a labrador.

The air-conditioned shop made the boy stop and sigh in content; summer was coming and, with that, more and more heatwaves were ensured. Naruto looked up and down the aisles slowly, finger tapping his chin in wonderment. Kunais, shurikens, staffs, katanas, tantos, and the likes litter the shelves against the walls. In the middle of the store were shelves upon shelves of storage scrolls, scrolls that held different kinds of jutsu, and others similar to it. While all of these different ninja equipment were definitely enticing, even if he had wanted to buy them, their price tags were too expensive to even consider it for a moment.

He wasn't here for that, though; maybe another time, but not today.

"Excuse me, did you need any..." A woman's voice came from behind him and, just as he turned to face her, she paused. The two stared at each other for a moment, Naruto eyeing her movements suspiciously.

"Ma'am?" He tried, gauging what kind of response he'd get from the employee.

"We don't serve your kind here." Her voice was venom in his ears, stern, and quiet as the words finally registered in his mind.

Naruto sneered openly, "What do you mean _my kind_?" It was the first time he'd heard that term before and, for some reason, it made his blood boil.

She bristled, physically shivering in his presence as she took a step back, "Nevermind that, _boy_. Get out of my shop."

"I just wanted to see if you had any medical revival practice scrolls." He grumbled heatedly, turning to head back outside.

"Ah, so the demon wants to undo all the pain and suffering he caused, huh? How noble... you're eight years too late. You can't gain our forgiveness back." The older woman snarled out, arms crossed over her chest defensively.

Naruto shook his head, a weird lump in his throat, "Ma'am, I don't even know what you're talking about... I didn't do anything."

"Feigning ignorance, huh? Of course." She scoffed, "Even if I _wanted_ to tell you about all your wrongdoings to this village, I wouldn't even have the words. Disgusting, get out of my shop..." Her cold eyes looked away, arms hugging her mid-section closely. There were tears pricking her eyes when Naruto had glanced at her.

And he paused. Had he made her cry? But... he didn't even do anything.

The eight-year-old shook his head, opening the shop door and stepping through the doorway. He stopped momentarily, "Thank you for your time, ma'am..." She said nothing as he finally left the fifth store that day.

The heat struck him instantly, making Naruto stop to help adjust to it. His face felt hot as anger pooled in his gut. He was used to this, his mind reminded him. It's nothing he hasn't heard before. But the words that the woman said still lingered in the back of his mind. What was that supposed to mean? He was just as human as the rest of the people of Konohagakure.

_Your kind..._

Naruto shook his head as if he was trying to shake the thought out of his head. He did this often though, shaking his head like a wet down when there was a thought in his head that he didn't like. It's how he'd maintained any sort of positivity when villagers like _her_ popped up in Konoha, shoving down this image of him doing something so horrible that it justified their hate for him. It was... confusing, to say the least, and not at all something that he wished upon anyone else.

No one should be subjected to the kind of ostracization he faced, no matter how much he hated someone.

Naruto persevered through these drowning thoughts, continuing his search through Konoha's ninja shopping district, intent on finding another shop. By the time he'd circled the district a second time, the sun was high in the sky - about noon or one in the afternoon, he supposed in disdain - and there hadn't been a sign of another weapons shop. The back of his mind uttered the words of disappointment Naruto was afraid of dwelling in while his soul kept encouraging him to keep at it. But it had been over two hours of searching with nothing to show.

However, just out of the corner of his eyes, he saw a Jonnin waving to someone inside the building which was conveniently tucked between a large shinobi-only bar and an equally large motel beside it. No wonder he'd missed the small hanging sign above the door reading ' _Noboru's Used Weapons and Scrolls'_ , however, underneath it was a FOR SALE sign. The whole store perplexed the academy student so much so that his feet found himself at the door before his mind had registered that he'd done so.

Naruto quietly opened the door, taking a moment to peek his head in before his body made its way into it. Had it not been for the Jonnin he'd seen exit the shop earlier, he would have almost believed that no one was inside. The atmosphere just screamed quiet abandonment; it had definitely seen better days. It seemed like either the air conditioner was broken or the owner didn't have one at all because, to the boy, it felt as hot inside as it did outside. Naruto wiped his forehead before browsing the aisles of old, worn scrolls; well, the sign did say _used_. Aisle after aisle, the eight-year-old boy searched for the scroll he desperately needed to further his medical training and so far, nothing.

"Excuse me?" A deep voice said from behind him. Naruto whirled around to face the man. "Sorry if I startled you." There was an easy smile on his scarred, olden face, "You seem to be a little frustrated. Did you need any assistance?"

The blond blinked in surprise from the kind voice speaking to him, standing up from his crouched position he took earlier to look at the contents on the bottom shelf. He gave the older man a sheepish smile, rubbing the back of his neck, "Um, yes, thank you, sir. That would be awesome."

"Noboru, at your service, then." The man beamed, "So, kid, what're you looking for?" He questioned, looking the boy in the eye.

There was a pause before Naruto looked up, a determined plea seated on his face. "Medical revival practice scrolls." He stated clearly.

A curious look flashed minutely against the man's face before it was replaced with a somber sadness. He looked off, eyes darting around the shop. "Sorry, kid." He gruffed out, rubbing his neck, "I have sold one of those scrolls in _years_. Ever since Tsunade-sama left the village all those years ago, the number of people buying those types of scrolls are practically slim to none. It was so much so that even _I_ had to stop purchasing those to stock the shelves as no one was buying them."

"What?" Naruto's face visibly fell in shock. Did he miss something in " _The Slug Sannin: Tales of the Greatest Medic"_ or in the green book Iruka had gifted him? Was it hidden somewhere in between the lines praising Tsunade's work in medical jutsu that everyone's desire to help those in need as a medic died when she'd left the village? He felt his heart fall to his stomach, a deep sadness falling over him. After almost three hours, five shops, and an earful from a woman who hated him, he'd failed to acquire _one_ thing. What would it be like for him if he continued with this new dream? Should he give up?

_No!_

Naruto lifted his head, "Sir, please, do you have _anything_ left from all those years ago? Anything at all would work."

Noboru paused, taken aback by the fire in the boy's eyes. He thought back to his shop's stock but couldn't come up with anything. "I don't want to get your hopes up, kid, because I can tell how passionate about this you are. However, I have a feeling that there could be something in the back that I'd be willing to sell you." He waved a hand to a doorway with an old red curtain hanging over it.

"Really?!"

"I said don't get your hopes up, though." He raised his hands in defense, motioning for the eight-year-old to follow him to the back, "As I'm in the process of packing my stock up in hopes of selling this place, there could be boxes of old stuff I'd forgotten in the weapons recession that happened _way_ before you were born."

Naruto followed like a lost puppy, weaving between dust-ridden shelves and weapons that could have been on display once. The words finally settled in his brain once the excitement had finally passed. He bowed once, "Thank you, sir, for going through the trouble!"

The older man waved off the words, a soft smile on his face as they finally reached a bunch of boxes stacked precariously on top of each other. He swiped away some of the dust obscuring some writing on the cardboard, taking a minute to read it. Noboru hummed, "These boxes were packed away over fourteen years old. Geez, I must be getting old if I don't even remember myself packing these away."

Naruto laughed at that, "I seriously can't thank you enough, sir."

"Well, you can put all that gratitude into helping me go through these boxes, kid." The man shook his head but looked thoroughly amused.

It took roughly about forty-five minutes to go through all the boxes littering the back of the shop but their efforts proved somewhat fruitful. Most of the scrolls were, surprisingly, blank. Noboru explained that around nine to fifteen years ago, there was a boom in people trying to learn how to seal. At the confused glance the owner had gotten, the older man explained that, due to the late Fourth Hokage's popularity, many of his fans wanted to imitate the prosperous sealing art he'd perfected and used during the height of his ninja career. However, after his passing, the sealing art popularity boom quickly died out.

Amongst the majorly blank scrolls were four medical revival scrolls, although they were tattered and worn with age. Noboru had gone over the scrolls and identified that they were roughly over twenty years old - probably around Tsunade Senju's golden age, he'd mentioned. The other ones that the duo had found were either too torn up beyond repair or smeared on the inside from water damage the store had sustained during some monsoon seasons, making them useless for practicing medical ninjutsu.

Naruto carefully ran his fingers over every weathered fold of the scroll, eyes soft and happy. He looked up at the older man, "May I purchase all of them, sir?"

Noboru shook his head, sighing heavily, "I can't, in good conscience, sell something that is _that_ beaten and torn up to a customer. So, just take them, kid. I doubt that anyone is going to be looking for a medical revival scroll."

"I-" The blond paused, eyes wide and hands shaking around the scrolls he held in his arms, "I can't just _take_ them, sir."

"'Course you can." Noboru smiled softly, "You just walk out the door with them and, if anyone asks me, I'll just tell them that you bargained with me and paid me something small."

Sky-blue eyes welled up with tears but wouldn't fall. Naruto glanced up with grateful eyes and laughed, "Thank you... Thank you so much, sir."

"It's nothing, kid." The shop owner waved a hand, dismissing the small gesture, "However, I was wondering something."

"Hm?"

"What's a kid like you doing trying to learn medical ninjutsu of all things? It's not that I have anything against it, I was simply curious. Most kids your age are still chasing after crushes and doing hooligan things or if they're actually serious about becoming a ninja, they're still stuck on flashy jutsu and learning how to throw punches." Noboru explained, pulling out a cigarette before pausing, "Mind if I smoke, kid?"

"Um, not at all." Naruto shook his head, waiting for him to continue.

The man drew a long breath from the cancer stick before starting again, "In my time, I have only ever met twelve medics. Of those twelve, Tsunade-sama and two others are still around." The blond-haired academy student let the words settle in, stiffening up at the thought. "They had only gotten up to Chunin level before they died in action saving someone off a battlefield or killed themselves from the trauma of not being able to save everyone." Noboru let the cigarette smoke drag across his tongue, suddenly looking much older than he was, "And, kid? It takes _years_ and _years_ of hard work to even be considered adept by the higher-ups. So, why? What is so special about medical ninjutsu to you?" There was no bite to his words, just an honest curiosity and a slap with a reality check.

"I want... I just want to be acknowledged by the village." Naruto stated shyly, looking away, clutching the scrolls in his arms tightly, "My teacher, Iruka-sensei, said in one of our lessons at the academy that people who master medical ninjutsu are praised for saving the lives of others. I just want people to look at me with hope rather than..."

"Than hate." Noboru finished.

Blue eyes met olden ones. He took a deep breath, "Sir, do you know why they hate me so much?" The pause in the air was all the confirmation the blond needed. "Why won't anyone tell me?" The words were more for himself than the other man, but he'd heard.

"It's against the law, kid." He ran a hand through his hair in frustration, "If it bothers you that much, go speak with the Hokage but, if you want to have a better focus on your dreams, then I would suggest leaving it for when you're older."

"Why?"

"Because, what if you don't like the answer and you no longer want to help people?" Noboru questioned, "The boy I see before me is passionate and kind with a soul of pure innocent need to help people. I haven't seen someone _that_ kind in so long. And maybe it's selfish of me to want you to succeed in your dreams but, I believe that Konoha _needs_ kids like you, kids that want the best of the world so that old geezers like me can go into retirement happy as a fiddle knowing that our village is safe with kids like you."

Naruto's eyes welled with tears for a second time that afternoon, this time, a hand came to swipe at them as he maintained eye-contact with the older man. "No one... has ever said something like that to me." He sniffled, "Well, Iruka-sensei says he believes I can do anything I set my mind to and Hokage-Jiji just tells me he's proud of me, but... you... We don't even know each other so why would you tell me something like that?"

"Because I believe that you could be a pretty damn good medic." Noboru gave the kid an earnest smile, "The dream you hold is a wonderful dream and I hope to see it prosper in front of you. And, yeah, we don't know each other, but just take this moment as an old geezer trying to give his wisdom before he kicks the bucket, alright? Not all things are going to make sense when you're this young but you'll remember this moment when you're older."

The Uzumaki boy nodded proudly, staring at the scrolls again, "Is it really okay for me to have these for free?"

"If you ask me again, I'll take them back." Noboru laughed at the possessive look he got.

"No, I... I won't ask again." Naruto mumbled out, the owner walking the boy out of the back and into the main part of the shop. They paused at the door. "Thank you, for everything." He smiled.

"Anytime, kid." He leaned against the wall, watching the boy's hand reach for the doorknob, "Oh, and Naruto?"

"Yeah?"

"If you ever seem to find yourself in the need of something, come back here and I'll see what I can fix you up with." Noboru grinned, "I'll remember you when you become a medic."

"Thank you, sir!" Naruto bowed before dashing out of the store, four scrolls clutched in his arms. He ran all the way back home, not even stopping to apologize when he accidentally ran into a shop vendor as he passed through the civilian shopping district. As he approached his apartment, he paused, mind thinking back to the shop owner's last words.

"I didn't tell him my name..." Were the only words that escaped his mouth. The blond glanced back at the direction he'd come from as if Noboru would be standing behind him. "How did he know my name?" He whispered, looking down at the scrolls a final time before making his way into his apartment.

The following morning, Naruto found himself back in town but, this time, simply aimlessly walking. The heatwave from yesterday had subsided, a nice breeze blowing this time. The blond had popped another hard candy in his mouth, knowing not to bite down or else his teeth could chip, crack, or even break. He'd learned this from a pamphlet about dentists he had picked up from a trash can on his way home from school.

In his aimless walking, Naruto found himself with one of his notebooks in his hand, eyes running over the pages he was rereading in quick succession. The notes he was going over again were about written in his red notebook - the idea book, the to-do list, the 'something for later' book; whatever you wanted to call it - had questions and small notations about the idea of healing oneself without the use of any hand signs. So far, the only accounts of it being possible were that of Hashirama Senju - the First Hokage - and his granddaughter and slug Sannin, Tsunade Senju.

In Jiraiya's book " _The Slug Sannin: Tales of the Greatest Medic"_ , he'd gone over multiple eye-witness accounts of his teammate learning and utilizing the method over the years before her disappearance from the Leaf Village. There, Naruto had read about how both Tsunade and her late grandfather - which he read about in one of the books he'd nabbed from the library when Massan was on duty - would be in the midst of battle looking absolutely beaten and broken. Then, when all hope was lost, the two would simply stand up without an injury littering their bodies. No one could figure out how or why they were able to do this without some form of hand sign. Naruto had even gone to the Third Hokage with questions for the man to answer but even he couldn't give the academy student anything useful about his old teacher.

He still has no idea how either Hashirama or Tsunade do it.

"Naruto!" A familiar voice called from him.

The eight-year-old raised his head from his notebook, blinking in surprise to see Kiba – one of his classmates – and his dog running towards him. Naruto smiled brightly, waving excitedly at the two, "Kiba, Akamaru! Hey!"

Akamaru barked, running circles around the boy's legs as Kiba finally approached him. The dog left Naruto's side to stand beside his Inuzuka owner, "Yo, Naruto, how are you?"

"I'm doing alright, I suppose. Just trying to get some studying in, you know?" The blond beamed, waving at his notebook that he pushed back into his backpack, all attention on the duo before him.

"Ah, so the whole medical stuff wasn't actually a joke then." The brunette slapped his forehead, Akamaru barking his agreement as well.

He cocked his head to the side in question, eyebrows furrowed, "What do you mean?"

"Rumors have been going around the school that you'd picked up medic stuff and I didn't believe it because you're the number one troublemaker around here!" Kiba barked out a laugh, clutching his sides as he collected himself, "But I guess it makes sense. You haven't made one of those cool, flashy pranks in like _months_!" His hands waved wildly around, "It's like you vanished!"

Naruto laughed awkwardly, scratching at his cheek sheepishly, "Yeah, um, sorry about that, I guess. I've just been preoccupied for a while. I don't have much time anymore for pranking." In actuality, he hadn't thought to make any kind of prank whatsoever since he got involved with medical ninjutsu. It just didn't appeal to him anymore. Maybe that's what those odd looks he got yesterday morning were about, he mused to himself.

"Man, that must suck!" Kiba whined, crossing his arms over his chest before his eyes widened and he smirked, "Why do you help me prank my older sister today?! Hana's been an ass to me for a few days for some reason and I really want revenge! Want to help me?" His eyes were wide, puppy dog eyes shining brightly at him.

"Kiba, I really can't, sorry. I've got a lot of stuff I have to get done." The blond-haired boy said sadly, "Maybe some other time?" He offered with a crooked grin.

The other boy grinned brightly, "Yeah, of course! Just don't back out of it when I ask again!"

"I won't." Naruto chuckled, watching as the boy and his dog left with a run.

"What's this? You haven't pranked anyone in months?" A sarcastic voice questioned from behind him.

The boy swiveled around, a large smile spreading on his face, "Iruka-sensei!" He bounded forward, giving his teacher a big hug.

The brunette shook his head in exasperation, patting the boy's back as he was released from the hug, "I'm guessing it's because of that book I gave you, right?"

Naruto nodded proudly, "Yeah, that and I've been trying to branch out a bit and find different books and scrolls to help me out. Thank you, again, for letting me use your book."

Iruka waved him off, "Well, I should have done that years ago if I would have known that it would stop your pranking."

"Hey! I'm not stopping my pranks... I'm just... waiting? Yeah, that's what I'm doing. Waiting for the right time to strike." The eight-year-old academy student gave his teacher an evil smirk, waggling his fingers in front of his face.

Iruka rolled his eyes, "Sure you were."

"I was!" He countered.

"Whatever the case may be, would you perhaps like to get some ramen with me?" The older man asked, pointing in the direction of Ichiraku's Ramen.

Naruto's eyes shone brightly as he nodded quickly, "Yes, please!"

On the way there and even after the two had ordered their food, the blond-haired boy could not help but talk his teacher's ear off. At first, it had started by Iruka asking what all his student had learned so far about medical ninjutsu. As he did, in fact, read through " _Introduction to Medical Ninjutsu"_ when he'd first purchased the book, Iruka would say he had a good grasp on the things the blond could potentially bring up.

To Naruto's immediate surprise, his teacher was an avid listener to the boy's intellectual analysis of several aspects and concepts of medical techniques and the likes of. They had gone back and forth, talking in great detail about the basis of medical ninjutsu until Iruka could no longer provide any input as that was the extent of what he'd learned. It wasn't disheartening though as the man still latched onto every word the boy said in between bowl after bowl of ramen. Between the blond's incessant slurping sound and Naruto's rather loud and passionate voice, Iruka was almost positive that other customers weren't too happy about their presence.

The old man who ran Ichiraku's Ramen and his daughter listened intently, smiling brightly at their favorite customer who continued to go on and on about ' _doctor stuff'_ as they put it. After he'd exhausted his knowledge earlier into their conversation, Iruka bets that he didn't even get a word in while Naruto talked his ear off about all the cool and fascinating things that a medic ninja or doctor could do or some odd poison/treatment he'd never heard of.

Iruka smiled slightly, finishing off his food as Naruto kept talking. He put a hand on the boy's shoulder, halting him from speaking. The eight-year-old blinked in surprise before his cheeks turned pink with embarrassment. He gave a sheepish grin. "Naruto, I'm so proud of you." Iruka returned the grin back full force, "Keep up the great work."

Naruto's eyes couldn't have shined any brighter at that moment.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yo, been a hot while hasn't it? I had a lot of personal stuff going on and could not spare a moment for this story so I picked it up whenever I felt like it. So, we're now at a point where Liam has now turned into Noboru and has more character than Liam ever did. I had a lot of plans for Liam in the original story that I never got to because I feared what everyone would say about his name and whatnot or generally not liking his character. I aged him up quite a lot - I would probably say he's roughly fifty or so. I hope you like his rewrite because I genuinely enjoyed writing Noboru. Plus, the little shop having 'scrolls in the back' makes so much more sense now than it did. Oh, and there's now lore! My favorite!
> 
> Other than that, I really do hope to keep writing these chapters every couple of weeks because it was enjoyable to do so and put me in a world where my problems don't exist. Maybe I'll post another chapter on my birthday - it's only ten days from now as its currently March 1st at 12:55 AM :D 
> 
> Have a great rest of your day everyone, I'll see you soon! (Oh, and I'll be actively responding to comments/messages this time around if you'd like to chat a little).


	5. Moving Along the Path

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yo, yo! Guess who doesn't have to wait months for another chapter? You all! Because I love you <3 I was just really inspired to write for this story again and couldn't contain my excitement which is why you're getting this chapter only, what, a day after the last one? Maybe two days actually... That's beside the point, though. I have a lot of things planned for this story and... for the first time in a while, I think I'll actually be able to finish something. I know you're all excited to see how the rewrite will go and, frankly, so am I! I'm more active now so I'll be more inclined to hear and talk to you all. Love you all, see you in the next update!
> 
> P.S. - Something I'm quite proud of is that this story is well over 17,000+ words even though we're only on the fourth chapter. However, in the original, by the fourth chapter, the story had just barely surpassed 5,000 words. I think that's so crazy and I can't even begin to say how grateful I am to have a better tolerance for writing and knowing exactly where I want the story to go. Plus, I like the chapter lengths staying around 4,000 - 4,500 words.

As summer started slowly encroaching, Iruka had been too busy to really take time to relax. He’d been preparing for the end-of-year exams before his student’s summer break. He and Mizuki, the other proctor for the test, kept going back and forth over what the test should entail or what should be taken out from last year’s exam. It was exhausting, to say the least, and, on that Saturday evening, work was the last thing on his mind.

He sighed deeply, walking down the street with a to-go bag from the BBQ place down the street from his own apartment. The academy-student teacher was going to visit Naruto for a celebratory dinner of sorts. Iruka could see how hard his student was working and wanted to praise the eight-year-old boy for passing expectations and continuing to grow into a fine ninja.

The man smiled softly, the street lights had started lighting up as the evening progressed, illuminating his journey towards his student’s apartment. If you had told Iruka almost a year ago that he’d be going out of his way for Naruto, of all his students, to bring the kid food and check up on him, he’d have told them that they were crazy. It still pains him to think how bigoted he was towards the blond when they’d met only two years ago, sharing the same hateful stare as the other people on the street.

But he wasn’t the same person he was a year ago. The person he is now can see how innocent and kind of a person Naruto is, how willing and bright he was to carry on and continue to learn.

Ever since Naruto got hooked on learning about medical ninjutsu all those months ago, his grades had started to sky-rocket. While they were definitely not on the same level as Sasuke’s, Sakura’s, or Shikamaru’s - in that order - the hyperactive blond was no longer being called the dead-last of the class. Iruka could clearly see that the storm cloud that had rested painfully above his head was now gone, replaced by a happier, more leveled Naruto. His temper had even plateaued which was, honestly, a big surprise.

Every change he saw in Naruto was amazing to watch, seeing him blossom into a student that _wanted_ to do better, strived to become a ninja that people would be proud of. Anything promising Iruka saw in his classroom of the kid’s progress, he reported it to the Third Hokage. Hiruzen and Naruto had always been close, Iruka noticed over the years - what he used to see as an obligation that the Hokage held after the death of Naruto’s parents was actually adoration and love, like a grandfather and a grandson. The older man had been ecstatic about the blond-haired kid’s progress when Iruka had reported to him. The Third Hokage even started giving Naruto more money so that he could spend them on books and the likes of.

It was a pleasant change after everything Naruto had been through over the years.

Iruka had finally managed to get to his student’s apartment complex. He shifted the bag in his arms to knock on the sturdy, but olden door to Naruto’s apartment. There was a startled yelp from inside and the brown-haired teacher couldn’t keep his chuckle from escaping. He could clearly hear something falling over, another shout, some mumbling even, a gasp, more things falling for a second time, and finally a hearty laugh before the door clicked open.

Naruto beamed up at him, “Iruka-sensei!”

He smiled, “Hey, Naruto.”

The boy giggled before his eyes caught the bag in his teacher’s hand, “What’cha got there?”

“Thought you’d be hungry by now.” Iruka merely shrugged but could see the way his student’s eyes shined. If there was something Naruto loved more than learning about medical ninjutsu, it was free food.

“Well, come in!” Naruto beamed, opening the door more so that the older man could walk in.

Iruka did as such, eyes peering around the apartment, pausing when he’d finally got a good look around. The last time he’d been here was over a mess ago when the boy hadn’t been to school in over three days. He had opened the, surprisingly, the unlocked door only to be greeted by an absolute pigsty - there was a mess anywhere and everywhere you laid your eyes on. The smell of old, used ramen containers filled the apartment and it was hard to look at the poor condition Naruto’s apartment used to be.

However, now, everything was presentable, clean, and extremely organized. Some pieces of furniture had been discarded and replaced by something new and less abused. There was a desk of dark oak on the far wall near Naruto’s bed with papers and pencils placed delicately on it as if they’d be ruined any other way. On either side of the desk, there were two extremely tall bookshelves. One of them had notebooks with papers sticking out of them, obviously filled to the brim with notes while the other bookshelf merely had several books of different sizes and shapes, all being related to health and medical ninjutsu. Underneath the shelves was a small little footstool underneath them. Iruka pushed down his chuckle upon seeing that as he continued to take in the room.

In the middle of the room was a circular table with three red and orange pillows placed on the ground for someone to sit on. He smiled at it, remembering the old coffee table he could never get his knees under and the uneven wooden floors that splintered his clothed toes had been covered up with a simple, gray carpet. Many nights he had seen that old coffee table filled to the brim with ramen containers that should have been in the kitchen but just never made it there. Now, on the coffee table was just a small cactus in an obviously hand-painted pot. Either Naruto did it himself or someone gifted him it. Otherwise, it was cute.

All in all, it was a sight to see - the dead-last of Iruka’s class, a previously messy kid, had somehow turned everything around to prosper and clean up his act. The older man turned to Naruto just as the boy was closing the door, blinking in curiosity, “I’m… surprised.” It was all he could manage, still in awe.

“Why?” The blond asked, tilting his head. Such an innocent question.

“Your apartment, Naruto. It’s stunning.” He gawked, waving to the open room.

He furrowed his brows, going to sit on one of the pillows by the circular table, motioning for his teacher to take a seat as well, “What are you talking about?”

“Do you not realize how much you’ve changed? Wait, scratch that - do you realize how much you’ve _grown_?” Iruka asked excitedly, sitting beside his student on the floor, setting the bag of food on the table.

Naruto scratched his cheek in thought, looking around at his apartment. “I guess?” He ended up mumbling out before shyly looking up at the man, a bit of apprehension in his eyes, “Is that a bad thing?”

“Absolutely not!” Iruka beamed, “That just means that you are on your way to becoming someone very mature and that’s fantastic!”

"Really?"

"Yes!" The academy teacher gave the boy a thumbs-up before patting him on the back, "I know I’ve already said this a few times, but still, you deserve to hear it. I'm so proud of you."

Naruto flushed before looking away shyly, "You are?"

"I am." He gave another soft smile.

His student grinned brightly before giving an embarrassed smile, "I took what you said to heart. About pulling my grades up and going to bed earlier. I've also been eating better and studying. I'm trying really hard to be better… I just thought you’d like to know."

Iruka ruffled his hair, "Of course you are, you're Naruto. You can do anything that you set your mind to. You've done great so far.”

"Thanks, Iruka-sensei!" Naruto seemed to glow in happiness, hands reaching for the plastic bag, "Now, let's eat!"

Roughly two weeks later, the two found themselves back in the classroom. Iruka had left his students to do some group work from their textbooks while he went to Mizuki’s classroom with an inquiry to the exam prototype the man had created over the weekend. The man had trusted his students not to get into too much trouble while he was away.

And if Shikamaru knew one thing is that, if you have a Naruto in class, there’s always going to be something troublesome popping up.

So, that’s where he was at now, staring with wary eyes at his troublesome blond-haired friend. After he’d finished the worksheet with the Nara heir, he’d pulled out a tattered scroll and had been staring at the paper with one of the worst grimaces Shikamaru had ever seen on anyone for the last fifteen minutes. It was like an angry fire was billowing in Naruto’s sky-blue eyes. The Nara heir didn’t know whether to disturb the boy’s obvious stupor and say something or to just leave him to stew in his own frustrations.

Either way, it seemed troublesome.

Despite every lazy bone in his body, Shikamaru turned and poked the other boy's cheek, “Yo.” When the blond didn’t say anything, he poked him again, this time a little harder. “Naruto.” The Nara boy huffed, poking a third time, “What’s wrong, brat?”

The other stiffened up for a second before sighing out sadly, shoulders sagging low and his head drooped. “It’s nothing, Shikamaru.” He looked like a kicked puppy, “Promise.” He added as an afterthought.

“Troublesome brat…” He mumbled, rolling his dark eyes before poking the now-sore cheek a fourth time, “You’re really bad at lying, you know?”

Naruto snorted, having not suspected his friend to say that, turning to look at the black-haired boy, “I’m just having a hard time with my studies.”

Shikamaru paused for a moment. "Academy or medical?" He questioned.

"Medical."

"Oh." The Nara heir blinked before crossing his arms on his desk and laying his head on top of it, grumbling out a low, "Then I have no idea how to help you."

Naruto shook his head, doing the same as his friend after rerolling his scroll back up and putting it away, "Figured."

The two laid in peaceful silence, listening to the rest of the class chattering a bit more as everyone started to finish their worksheets up before Shikamaru glanced at the blond-haired boy from the corner of his eye, “How do you plan on fixing your problem?”

“Well, I was thinking that I should probably go see Jiji, see if he can help me out. I’m almost positive he, like, knows everything.” He waved a hand, an exasperated look on his face.

“Jiji?” The other boy paused, “I didn’t think you had any relatives.”

“I don’t.” Naruto deadpanned before shaking his head, “That’s just what I call the Third Hokage.”

The black-haired boy was quiet for a few seconds before lifting his head a bit, an odd look on his face, “You do know how disrespectful it is to call the Hokage - of _all_ people - an old man?”

“Yep.”

“And he doesn’t correct you at all?”

“Nope.”

Shikamaru snorted, laying his head back down, “Figured.”

Iruka walked back in looking a bit more frustrated than usual. He placed the stack of papers he’d left with when he’d gone to Mizuki's classroom on his desk before looking over the sea of children; they still hadn’t noticed his arrival. “Alright everyone, settle down. Has everyone finished their worksheets?” Many students voiced their replies, getting a solid nod from the brown-haired man before he paused, “Naruto! Shikamaru! Pick your heads up from those desks immediately. This is a place for learning, not sleeping!”

"Damn..." Shikamaru groaned, lifting his head from the desk and leaning back against his seat, an annoyed look formed into his forehead.

Naruto, doing the same, only grinned widely, "You're so lazy."

"And you're a smart ass." He smirked.

"Whatever." The two eight-year-olds chuckled in the back of the class.

After class that afternoon, Naruto had run all the way to the Hokage’s office, easily evading shinobi who were supposed to keep unwanted visitors at bay. However, upon seeing the blur of yellow and orange pass, they knew that they couldn’t stop him even if they wanted to. Despite how much he’d grown over the last several months, nothing would stop Naruto yelling out, “JIJI!

Hiruzen merely chuckled to himself, hearing the boy from the hallway outside his office door. He waved to one of the ANBU agents standing quietly in the room to open the locked door for the academy student. He smiled as Naruto walked in with a questioning look on his face. “What can I help you with today, Naruto?” The old man asked.

“Can you help with this problem I’ve been having?” The boy huffed in exasperation, placing his backpack on the chair, rummaging through it.

“Like what?”

“I just want to know why _these_ ,” He pulled out the four scrolls he’d purchased from ‘ _Noboru’s Used Weapons and Scrolls’_ shop a month ago, “haven’t worked?!” Frustration was clear as day on his face. “I can’t get them to do anything at all,” Naruto explained heartbrokenly.

The Third Hokage picked up one of those old scrolls, opening them and reading the contents on the side before accidentally letting out a snort. He covered his mouth to keep himself from laughing. One mere glance at Naruto’s shocked face made him lose it momentarily. “I apologize, Naruto.” He ended with a cough, stifling his laughter once more.

“Jiji!” He gave the old man an incredulous look, “This isn’t funny! Why aren’t these working?!”

“I want to apologize again, heh.” The old Sarutobi man whipped a tear from his eye from laughing so suddenly before turning his full attention back on the other boy, “I’m assuming that the academy hasn’t gotten to any lessons on chakra control yet, have them?”

Naruto tilted his head in question, “Chakra control?”

“Chakra control is what every ninja needs to have to be successful when becoming a ninja.” Hiruzen explained loosely, “To have this scroll show you the contents inside in full detail, you need to move the chakra from your body into the scroll. Here, it’ll be better if I show you how it works. Come closer.” He waved a hand, watching him walk towards his desk.

Hiruzen started to slowly feed the scroll some of its chakra, both watching as characters and words started to slowly appear around the drawn circle in the middle of the scroll. Then, all of the sudden, a fish popped into life… well, life _lessly_ as the fish was quite dead. That’s probably what the ‘revival’ in ‘medical revival scroll’ meant.

There was only a moment of silence between the two before Naruto jumped to life, “Woah!”

“Do you know how I did that?” The older man questioned with an amused tone, using a bit more chakra to reseal the scroll, the fish and words disappearing with a poof of smoke.

"No, but it looked cool." He admitted, still in awe.

Hiruzen chuckled again, pushing the four scrolls back across the office desk for the academy student to collect. “Well, I used chakra control to carefully push my chakra out of my body and into the scroll. The reason you couldn’t open the scroll is that kids your age don’t have any chakra control whatsoever unless you come from some more prestigious clans who train their heirs and people at a young age.”

“How do I get it?!” The blond-haired boy asked immediately, practically vibrating in excitement.

"You've got to train yourself to do that." He smiled, watching the enthusiasm and determination burn in the boy's eyes.

"How?"

The older Sarutobi man stood up from his chair, waving again for the boy to follow him. The two walked over to a wall on the left side of the room where a bookshelf stood with scrolls, books, or obscure items filling the entirety of it. Naruto blinked in amazement, eyes scanning the book titles before looking back to the Third Hokage. Hiruzen started to pull out some of the books, skimming over some lines before handing a few over to the blond. “Here you go.” He stated.

Naruto looked down at them, “What are these for?”

“These books are about chakra control and some techniques you can use to better your control. It’ll tell you all kinds of things: background on what chakra control is, how it’s used, side effects of having bad chakra control, and many chakra control exercises.” Hiruzen explained loosely, “I suggest you start with just researching about it. Don’t try to do those exercises in one night. I know how you like to rush things, so I just ask that you take your time with chakra control. It could help you in the end.”

“Thank you so much, Jiji!” Naruto gave the older man a genuine smile, beaming up at him, “I won’t let you down!”

“I know you won’t.” The Third Hokage reached his hand out, ruffling the boy’s blond locks with a somber look in his eyes that was quickly replaced by a smile of his own, “I will say, when you _do_ attempt some of these chakra control exercises, do note that you may not immediately be able to do it. Uzumaki’s were known for their large chakra supply, something you hold as well. The larger the chakra supply is, the harder it is to master any kind of chakra control. Do you understand?”

The eight-year-old paused a surprised look in his eyes after learning something else about his clan, one he’d never really heard about but held so much adoration for. He looked at the swirl on his jacket, something that everyone wore that represented the late Uzumaki clan. Naruto smiled at it before looking back to the Hokage, “I understand, Jiji.”

Hiruzen laid a hand on his shoulder, “Alright, now if you have any questions about chakra control, just go ask Iruka. They’ll be starting chakra control lessons within the next year so he’d be the best person to ask instead of myself since I’ll be busy with my duties as Hokage.”

“Alright, Jiji, will do.” With that, Naruto sped off back to his apartment, a new sense of determination settling in his soul.

The Third Hokage watched him off with proud eyes, even walking over to the large windows expanding over the entirety of the village. His eyes tracked Naruto in his run back home before he disappeared around houses and between villagers. “He’s going to grow up to be a great Hokage, I’d say. Wouldn’t you agree, Danzō?”

The olden man stood against the wall, seeming to have appeared out of nowhere. “Hokage?” He scoffed, shaking his head, “I’m sure he’d do better training under me.”

“Now, now, Danzō. Let him do his own thing for now. He seems to be doing fine by himself, taking one foot at a time.” Hiruzen grinned, facing the man, “He doesn’t need your training to be greater than he already is.”

The bandaged man rolled his lone eye, stepping out of the darkness for a moment, “I highly doubt it. Eventually, he will need a teacher to help continue his training in a more linear way rather than a rounder one, like how all academy students are taught.” Danzō huffed at that, grumbling about the difference in those trained nowadays rather than back then.

“Your doubts will not make Naruto falter, Danzō.” The Third Hokage chuckled, looking out the window once more; the sun was setting, “He’s going to do great things for this village.”

“I think that’s the only thing we’re agreed upon,” Danzō stated.

“Indeed.”

* * *

“So…” Shikamaru drawled out, holding out a leaf in his hand, his voice unsure as he continued, “I just concentrate chakra into this leaf and hope it burns?”

Naruto laughed loudly, smacking his shoulder from where he sat cross-legged beside the Nara heir, “No, you idiot. You don’t _hope_ it burns - it _will_ burn! I haven’t been able to get it to completely burn, but it does spark a bit.” He picked up one of the leaves that had fallen around them. He took a deep breath, settling his body into a comfortable position as he tried concentrating. Emotions slid off his face as a deep-seated seriousness appeared in seconds. After calming his nerves, sky-blue eyes closed, trying to still himself long enough to control his chakra flow until the leaf started to sizzle. However, upon feeling the heat, Naruto got too excited before losing control of his chakra.

A deep sigh left the boy as he set the leaf down, eyes peering open again. He handed the chakra book he’d gotten from the Third Hokage last week over to Shikamaru who lazily took it, reading over the lines and instructions for this specific chakra control exercise. “Well, it’s definitely interesting.” The Nara heir drew out.

“I’ve been trying really hard to get this down fast but I’m struggling a lot. Jiji said it's because of my Uzumaki blood and how they have large chakra reserves, but it’s disheartening a bit.” Naruto ran a hand through his hair in his frustration, “I need chakra control to even open up those medical revival scrolls and I probably need it too if I want to heal _anyone_.” He let out of huff before falling onto his back, staring at the cloudless sky.

Shikamaru was silent for a couple of minutes, a nice breeze filtering through them. “I think it’s because you’re starting with the wrong kind of chakra control exercise.” _That_ got Naruto’s attention, blue eyes suddenly staring down the other boy.

“What?!”

“Ugh, what a drag…” He mumbled out before positioning the book to where the blond could see it, “Look at the leaf-burning exercise you showed me. There’s a spot here that says you need _minimal_ chakra. If what the Hokage says is true, you’re unconsciously putting too much chakra into such a tiny leaf, meaning that it’ll just sizzle as it did before.”

“Are you serious?” Naruto blinked widely, “Wait, does that mean I’ll never be able to be able to control my chakra?”

“No, you troublesome brat. It just means you need a different chakra control exercise to start with.” Shikamaru flipped through the book a few pages after the leaf-burning exercise before stopping, reading over the page quickly. He showed it to the other boy again, “This is tree-walking which allows shinobi to move up and down trees without the use of their hands. And this one is water-walking; basically, you could run over water without falling in or getting wet even if the water is choppy or uneven.”

The blond-haired boy held his hands out, being handed the book by his friend. He read over the two sections carefully. “This seems really advanced…” He mumbled out.

“Because it is. You usually wouldn’t attempt this until you were in a genin team where your teacher could watch over you to make sure you didn’t hurt yourself or push out too much chakra.” The Nara heir explained, finger motioning to different sections of the page, “But, if you want to learn chakra control so bad right now, these two will be your best bet. To first learn it, you have to balance how much chakra output you’re using to get the feel of it before it’ll start feeling natural to you. Plus, a tree or a body of water is going to be a _lot_ bigger than a tiny leaf, meaning your chakra will have more places to move out.”

“Shikamaru, have I told you how much I love you?” Naruto leaned forward hastily, hugging the other eight-year-old over the shoulders.

His hands immediately went up, not used to hugs as a deep red blush started to travel across his face and down his neck, “Uh… um…” He didn’t know what to say - not even he and Choji hugged and they’d been best friends for _years_. Shikamaru moved slightly, patting the other boy’s back lightly before the blond finally drew back, face bright and happy.

“So, how do I do it?” Naruto eagerly asked eyes lit up in excitement.

Shikamaru cleared his throat, motioning to the book that had somehow managed to fall into his lap, “Well, you see…”


End file.
